


Cryptic

by TenRoseForeverandever



Category: Doctor Who (2005), RPF - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Doctor Who/RPF crossover, Epsiode Fix-it: s02e13 Doomsday, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-29 19:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7696279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TenRoseForeverandever/pseuds/TenRoseForeverandever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The advantage of knowing what was supposed to happen was that you could change it... if you didn’t like the way it turned out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cryptic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hanluvr (Bria)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bria/gifts).



> A little RPF mixed in with Doctor Who...
> 
> A gift to Hanluvr (Bria) on the occasion of her birthday! Happy Birthday, darling. Hope you enjoy your little adventure!
> 
> As an added bonus, I even used the drabble prompt from Timepetalsprompts, over on Tumblr: _advantage_. This sure isn’t a drabble, but I couldn’t just give Kristina a drabble for her birthday now, could I?

* * *

Kristina had just finished her workout and was getting ready to head to work. She was feeling great! She had never felt in such good shape in her life. And today, she felt like she could take on the world.

Heading out the door, she heard a peculiar wheezing groan. She recognized that sound. That’s not why it was peculiar. It was peculiar because it should only exist in the world of television, or in the words of fanfiction.  Not here. Not in real life!

She wheeled around toward the source of the sound. Sure enough, materializing just across the street was a weathered, blue police box. She took a tentative step toward it. Could it be? Could it possibly be? And if it was, which regeneration…?

The door of the police box creaked open, and out stepped a familiar figure with really great hair, a tight, brown pin-striped suit and scruffy Chucks on his feet. Right behind him, stepped a blonde girl wearing a jeans, a dark pink, cotton jacket, and far too much make-up around her brown eyes.

“Blimey!” the man exclaimed, looking around him with his tongue tucked behind his front teeth. He patted the door frame of the box. “Where have you taken us this time, old girl?” He sucked on his finger and held it up in the air, concentrating.

“Near future, yeah?” the girl peered around. Her eyes met Kristina’s, and she placed a warning hand on the man’s arm, giving him a little shake. “Doctor…”

“Just a minute, Rose. Trying to get my bearings. Earth. Twenty… sixteen, seventeen. United States, if I’m not mistaken, and–”

“Doctor!” Rose gave his arm a more emphatic shake. “We have an audience…”

“What…?” His eyes landed on Kristina. “Oh… oh, well! Hello there!” He flashed a brilliant grin, eyes twinkling.

Kristina raised her hand in a tentative wave, suppressing the need to “squee” very loudly. This couldn’t really be happening… but it was! “Hi.” 

“Hi there!” Rose waved as she and the Doctor crossed the street. “I’m Rose and this is–”

“The Doctor,” Kristina announced, her heart pounding. “I know.”

The Doctor squinted at her. “Have we met?”

Oh, she really shouldn’t be doing this. She really shouldn’t, but how could she resist. “No… not exactly, but the two of you… the stuff of legend, right?”

“Oh, weeell, I wouldn’t like to boast, but–” Rose swatted him in the arm. “Oi!”

Kristina chuckled. This was just too good! Then she really noticed what Rose was wearing… that outfit… no, it couldn’t be…! “Has anyone ever called you two that before? The stuff of legend?”

“Weeell, not as such…”

Oh no! It was going to happen… The impossible planet, the devil, Krop Tor…

“We better be off. Just looks like a normal day here. Feels normal. Wonder why the old girl brought us here.”

“You don’t want to look around a bit?” Rose asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Nah… I can sense it. No alien incursions, no mysteries… weeell, except for not knowing why we landed here at all.”

He peered at Kristina, whose heart leaped to her throat. “Where you go next,” she blurted, “just believe. Believe in each other. Everything will be fine.”

Rose and the Doctor stared at her, mouths agape.

“Trust me… just believe.”

“That was cryptic, eh, Rose? Textbook cryptic! I love cryptic!” He beamed at Kristina, who thought she would melt into a puddle of cryptic goo, right there on the side of the road.

“Are you some kind of… I dunno, soothsayer or something?” Rose asked, eyes narrowed.

“No… not, uh… not normally. Just, please, take care of each other.”

“Right, then,” the Doctor chirped, “we better…” He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder to the blue box. He grabbed Rose’s hand and tugged her back across the street.

“Nice meeting you…” Rose called back to Kristina as she was hauled along.

Kristina waved good-bye as they stepped into the TARDIS (because that’s _definitely_ what it was… the _freakin_ ’ TARDIS!) She stood, dumbfounded, as it dematerialized, and the wind from its departure blew her hair in all directions.

Grinning, she continued on her way to work, a bounce in her step that she was sure would pass when she woke up from this dream.  But she never woke up and she finally decided that it had to be real. Even her imagination wasn’t _that_ good.

\--oOo--

It was a few months later when Kristina stepped out into the oppressive, late July heat, on her way to work. She stopped in her tracks as the unmistakable sound of the TARDIS rang in her ears once again. The blue box materialized in the same spot it had before, kicking up the litter and dust from the roadside as it landed. Her pulse pounded in her ears. What were the odds that this could happen again?

Rose was the first to step out the TARDIS doors, this time. She looked around her, perplexed, her face scrunched up in confusion. “Doctor? Thought you said we were goin’ to visit Mum?”

The Doctor pushed his way past her. “Weeell, we were. Those were the coordinates I entered. But…”

“This place looks familiar, yeah?”

“That’s because we’ve been here before. Look,” he gestured with a frown to Kristina. He strode across the street, brown coat billowing behind him. “Who the hell are you?” he growled. “What do you want?”

Kristina was terrified... in the best possible way. She was catching just the smallest glimpse of the Oncoming Storm, and it was deliciously frightening.  

“Doctor! You’re being rude, again.” Rose dropped her red and black backpack on the ground by the TARDIS, before jogging over to catch up with him. “Never mind ‘im.” She turned her kind smile on Kristina. “Only thing he loves better than a good mystery is solvin’ one.”

_He loves you more_ , Kristina thought to herself with a little smirk. “That’s okay, I can hardly blame him. And, to answer your question,” she turned to address the Doctor, “my name’s Kristina. And just so you know, it’s not like I summoned you here or something. I didn’t just wave my wand and say ‘Accio TARDIS!’”

“Oooooh,” the Doctor clutched his hair, “are you a wizard?  That would explain so much.”

“Of course not! But I do read Harry Potter.”

“Oh, me too! Me and Rose, we went to a book signing once. Met good ol’ J.K. in person! Blimey! She’s brilliant!”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Doctor…”

“Right… getting off topic. If you didn’t summon me then, why are we here… again? How long has it been, exactly, since we were here last? Weeell, assuming you’ve only seen us the once before.”

“Oh, yeah. Only once. It’s been… let’s see… four months or so.”

“Hmmmm, same linear time as we’ve been travelling. Have to thank you, by the way. That advice you gave us… when we saw you last… That… _that_ was just brilliant!”

“Oh, yeah,” Rose chimed in, “completely brilliant!” Biting her lip she looked at Kristina with eyes full of delight. “We did just what you said, yeah, believed in each other.” She shocked Kristina by gripping her by the hand. “And… we’ve never been closer, you know…” She wiggled her eyebrows and  blushed. “I just can’t thank you enough. It just gave us that little push and–”

“Oooo-kay, Rose, that’s more than enough details…” the Doctor admonished.

Kristina goggled. She had always expected things had changed for them after Krop Tor, but having that confirmation made her insides bubble with joy. She schooled her expression to one of “happy to be of help” rather than “squeeing fangirl”.  “So glad I could help out. Really…” She squeezed Rose’s hand. She was just as lovely in real life as she appeared to be on the TV, and that fuzzy, turquoise hoodie she was wearing was just as hideous in person as…

Wait! A turquoise hoodie. And they were supposed to be visiting Jackie, if their earlier conversation was anything to go by. That meant… Doomsday! Oh, God, no!

“Well, Kristina,” the Doctor pursed his lips, “I don’t know why the TARDIS keeps bringing us here… or why you seem to know so much about us, things that maybe we don’t even know yet, but it is a mystery that will have to wait. This doesn’t feel right.” He ruffled his hair.  Then he pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, and pointed it at Kristina. “Don’t worry, I’m just going to scan you.”

“I know: doesn’t kill, doesn’t wound, doesn’t maim…” Kristina gave the Doctor a cheeky grin.

He began to scan. “Cryptic as ever, eh? And,” he peered at the screwdriver once the scan was complete, “completely and utterly a normal human. No signs of temporal or dimensional shifts. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just perfectly human!”

“Well, that’s good to know!”

“Yu- _p!_ It is. But, as I was saying, it is a mystery that will have to wait. Another time, Kristina.” He grabbed Rose’s hand and the two of them turned away, back across the street to the TARDIS; to Jackie’s flat; to Torchwood and the Cybermen and Daleks…

“Yeah, bye, Kristina!” Rose waved.

Kristina watched as they walked away, hands swinging between them… carefree…  “WAIT!” she shouted. “Please be careful! Doctor…”

The two of them stopped, looking back expectantly.

Kristina didn’t know what to say. She knew what was supposed to happen.  But the advantage of knowing what was _supposed_ to happen was that you could perhaps _change_ it... if you didn’t like the way it turned out.

She thought very hard for a minute. There was no way she could say anything that would keep Rose out of that lever room. She would never agree to something like that, but… “The magnaclamps, Doctor… when you install the magnaclamps, put them downwind of the levers. That way, you’ll have something to hold onto if one of you… falls.”

“The magnaclamps?”

“The magnaclamps. You’ll know when you get there. Trust me.”

He looked in her eyes, searching for answers.

Rose shuddered, staring at Kristina as though she was a… ghost, and nestled her head against the Doctor’s shoulder. “Do you understand what she means, Doctor?”

“Not yet. But I have a feeling we’re going to find out. Cryptic! Brilliant!” He beamed at Kristina. “C’mon, Rose Tyler! Time to give your mum that bazoolium.”

Rose laughed, as they turned back to the TARDIS. “And all my laundry!”

“You know the TARDIS would take care of that for you.”

“I know. But Mum likes to feel a part of things, likes to feel needed, yeah. Especially since all that rubbish with Elton. And doing my laundry will help with that. Bye, Kristina!” She waved over her shoulder. “Hope to see you again!”

Kristina waved back, heart sinking. “I hope so too.”

\--oOo--

It was Kristina’s birthday, August 6th, 2016. And she had a lovely day planned. She was going to see the theatrical production of the Lion King, and she couldn’t keep the theme song out of her mind. She thought of the Doctor and how much he would love to see this play too. Seeing him and Rose for the second time, a week ago, had been like the best early birthday present ever. She just hoped that he had taken her advice… and that it had worked out.

Yes, Tentoo was her endgame, her headcanon, but if the Doctor and Rose could have Rose’s forever together, and could save themselves years of anguish and heartache, wouldn’t that be just as good… maybe even better. She figured she’d never know.

It was still early and she wanted to watch some of the Olympic coverage until it was time to go to the show, but something compelled to step outside.

There at the side of the street again, was the TARDIS, the Doctor leaning against the blue box alone. Her heart broke, and she ran across the street to see him. He pushed off the side of the TARDIS as she approached.

“How did you know?”

“I… I… shouldn’t say, I don’t think. Timelines and everything. I don’t think it would be right.”

“Quite right.”

“What about Rose? Is she…?”

“She’s fine. She’s here, safe with me.” Kristina was startled by the tears in his eyes, even as tears of joy filled hers. “I felt the timelines changing, the moment we set those magnaclamps downwind of the levers. I saw what would have happened had we not… how I would have lost her. Oh, Kristina!” To her utter delight, he swept her into a bone crushing hug. He smelled just as lovely as she had always read him described in fanfic.

“Well, hello there.”

He set her down at the sound of Rose’s voice.

Kristina’s legs felt wobbly beneath her. The Doctor had just hugged her! Before she knew it, Rose was giving her a warm hug too.

“Thank-you. For everything.”

“I have to know… please… what happened to your mum and Pete?”

“How did you…?”

“Just go with it, Rose. This is one mystery we’ll never solve properly, I expect. Textbook cryptic!”

Rose swallowed hard. “They’re trapped. On the other side of the void. But I was able to say good-bye, before the cracks all closed. They’re happy. Mickey’s there too, and there’s a baby on the way. I’m going to be a big sister! Can you believe it?”

Kristina nodded, and Rose offered her a huge smile.

“And I get to travel with this great lump, forever!”

“Oi!” the Doctor scolded, giving her a playful nudge with his shoulder.

“So… Doctor…” Rose prompted.

“Oh, yeah, right. Kristina, how about one trip in the TARDIS? A thank-you gift from us.”

“Are you serious?” Kristina couldn’t believe her good fortune. This would be the trip of a lifetime.

“Yu-p. Anywhere you want to go.” He swung the door open, and the three of them stepped into the TARDIS.

It was even more beautiful than Kristina had ever imagined. The television didn’t do it justice. She touched the warm, golden coral struts before walking up the ramp behind the Doctor. Rose followed.

“So where would you like to go?” Rose asked.

“This is the best birthday gift… ever! Anywhere? Any… when?”

“All of space and time at our fingertips,” the Doctor gushed as he began the familiar dance around the console, pressing buttons and flipping switches.

“Happy Birthday, by the way!” Rose added.

“I think… I think…” And then Kristina grinned as she knew exactly where in all of space and time she wanted to go.


End file.
